Preface: Parent's (like me) should be given some latitude when it comes to bragging about their own children. This essay has some of that. The good news is that embedded within is a strong message about how obedience is tied to listening, which is worth knowing.
The talk posted below is a youth talk that was given in a Sacrament meeting in 2006. The speaker was my Son#3, who was twelve at the time. This was his first Sacrament meeting talk. Although he is intellectually precocious, he did receive help from me in composing the talk. It was a collaborative project. (Of course, the text is much more polished than could be written by a solitary twelve-year old).
Following the text of the talk, I have written some "behind the scenes" commentary, which I recorded later that day.
Talk on Obedience: 8/13/06
Men and woman are that they might have joy.
Although life always has its challenges, the greatest happiness comes from obedience to the gospel principles of Jesus.
Obedience in the gospel means something more than going through the motions. Jesus often expressed concern that the Pharisees were just going through the motions. They worried about how many steps they could take on the Sabbath; when they fasted they were sure to brag about it to others; and they also liked to brag about their famous ancestors.
In the scriptures the Hebrew word for obedience is “shama,” which really means “to listen.” The English word for “obey” comes from the Latin “oboedire” which also means “to listen.” A key element of gospel obedience is listening to the Lord.
It is NOT full obedience just to come to Church. We must come and LISTEN.
It is NOT enough just to fast or to partake of the sacrament. We should try to listen to the LORD while we fast or while we partake of the sacrament.
The commandments of God are not given so that we can be mindless. They are given so that we can have opportunities to listen to God. As we listen and try to understand we will be happy.
Every gospel principle has associated blessings connected to it.
A famous scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants says:D&C 130: 20-21
20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated.
21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.The Word of Wisdom teaches that smoking is bad. If we obey that principle, then we will NOT harm our lungs.
Proper obedience to gospel principles may keep us from harm, but they may also allow us to prosper by bringing us closer to God. However, we must learn to listen to the spirit.***** An important story in the Bible is about the woman at Jacob’s well in the 4th chapter of John (verses 7-23). This is how the story goes:
A woman from Samaria went to Jacob’s well to get some water. There she found Jesus who asked her, “Give me some water.”
She was surprised by this request, because she thought that all Jews hated Samaritans. She asked, “Why do you ask me for water? I am a woman from Samaria.”
Jesus answered, “If you were really listening, you would know who I am and would pray to God and he would give you living water.”
The woman did not quite understand and she could not believe that he would be willing to drink out of her cup. She said, “But Sir, you do not have a cup and the well is deep. How will you get the living water?” She asked, “Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob who also drank from this well?”
Jesus tried to explain: “Everyone who drinks water from this well will just be in need of it again. But, whosoever takes the water I give will never be in need of drink again.”***** This simple story teaches a lot of lessons. It teaches us that the gospel is for ALL PEOPLE, even the Samaritans. It teaches that the gospel is living water that will enrich all of our lives for a lifetime. It teaches us that when we come face to face with God we REALLY need to BE LISTENING.
Another important part of the story is repentance. As the story continues, Jesus understood that the woman had been breaking the law of chastity. We do not know much about this woman, but the gospel of John tells us that she became a believer (see John 4: 39-42).***** The Book of Hebrews 5:8 teaches that Jesus “learned obedience from the things which he suffered.” If Jesus learned obedience, then so must we. But, we must learn the special kind of obedience required by the gospel. The Book of Hebrews 8:10 says, “I will put my laws into their mind and write them in their hearts.” In other words, we obey laws because they are written into our hearts.
I pray, Brothers and Sisters, that we will all obey the gospel by truly listening with our minds to the spirit of God, and I pray for His strength… in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
On the way to Church I ask Son#3, "Are you nervous?" He replied, "No, I am bulletproof." This was a kid that would not go into a bathroom because a tiny moth was flying around. Yet, he had nerves of steel before talking in front of 200 people!
At Sacrament meeting Son#3 passed the sacrament. He was designated "Bishop's helper" for the meeting, and so after the sacrament, he sat behind the Bishop. His job was to run errands for the Bishop in case he needed anything during the meeting. He looked real sharp in his dark suit and tie, further magnified by sitting on the stand with all the officials.
Finally, it came to his turn to give his talk. He marched up to the podium like he had done it a thousand times. He laid out his papers and then said while looking at the audience, "My talk today is going to be on obedience." A newcomer might have thought, "Wow, they have a child preacher in this Church!"
Then came the talk. Seated in the back, I crossed my fingers. There were any number of words that could throw him. "Pharisees," the Latin word "oboedire," "Samaritan," or " irrevocably," to name just a few. But, Son#3 never skipped a beat. He never stumbled on a word. He never stuttered. He read slowly. He looked up at the audience. He put emphasis into certain important words to help carry the message. He stood up straight and tall. He spoke loudly but not too loudly. His voice was natural and it did not sound like he was just reading. He gave the talk like he had preached regularly at the pulpit every week.
After the talk, my wife and I turned to one another and I said, "Wow!" A man seated behind us, said, "You can say that again," and just chuckled. As Son#3 maneuvered to sit behind the Bishop, the Bishop shook Son#3’s hand. Both had big smiles on their faces.
Son#3 then looked over at us (his parents) in the congregation. He gave us a smile and a thumb's up and we gave one back.
The next talk was from the 1st Counselor in the Bishopric who was filling in for someone who had called in sick. Thus he had to give his talk extemporaneously. During his talk he kept referring to Son#3's talk. He would say things like: "As Brother Faux eloquently stated ... ".
Then , the Bishop's 2nd Counselor, who was running the meeting, got up and said, "The next hymn will be on page 57 and the next speaker will be Brother Jones." Then, looking at me on practically the last row of the chapel, he said, "Brother Faux you can be real proud of the talk your son just gave."
Finally, the meeting ended. As I walked in the hallways various people were congratulating me for the fine talk that Son#3 gave. I wondered what was happening to Son#3, since he was in a different part of the building.
In priesthood meeting another friend came up to me and said, "That was the finest youth talk I have ever heard. What college does your son go to?"
At the end of all the meetings I finally met up with Son#3, and he was still receiving compliments. He told me, "I wish people would stop. I am starting to feel famous."
I told him not to get a big head – although as an overly proud parent, mine had already burst.
Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.
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